La miglior cioccolata calda con panna del mondo!!!! The best hot chocolate in the world!! Mmmmmmm!!…read moreMy Parmigiano friend took me here on a freezing cold snowy day and it was the perfect drink that kept us all warm and happy! For a cup of hot chocolate, 5 euro price tag seems a bit pricey but trust me, it's really worth it! So rich and flavorful, it was waaaay better than Max Brenner! Highly recommended!

So many pastry shops, so little time. This was a morning stop in Parma for what was our breakfasts…read morein Italy--stops at pastry shops. One of our group would normally get several items and we would then share the selections. In this case, I got a lemon tart and a nice cappuccino and quietly enjoyed my breakfast. The abundance of good pastry shops in Italy is amazing. We don't value them like the Italians. A pastry and a shot of espresso and then it's off to work.

Items Selected: Sugar Brioche…read moreRice Cake Cassis Cornetto Pan Dulce Cream Horn Baba au Rhum Raspberry Sfogliatta Cassis Puff Pastry Spending a day in Parma before progressing onward to Milan it was with a late night past that the group filed into Pasticceria Torino at Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi 61, the small shop quiet despite the early hour of 08h30 as the shelves sat packed with nearly fifty styles of Cakes, Pastries and Bread. One of the most affordable Pasticceria visited in Italy, the prices closer to those in Mirano than the aforementioned fashion capitol or Venice, it was with limited English that clerks provided service after extensive perusal of the options, a total of eight selections totaling just €10,80 plated and delivered to a small table. In many ways similar to other bakeries, but also offering some novelties featuring housemade Fruit Compote, tastes of the Sugar Brioche as well as the laminated Butter Baton each proved mild yet pleasant in the face of more interesting options, the citrus-scented Rice Cake moist with Ricotta while the tender Baba found itself rich with Rum. Baking the typical Cornetto more crispy than many, its smooth filling rife with Vanilla notes, even better bites were found amidst two laminated pastries packed with Black Currant Jelly, a rounded item labeled as "Sfogliatta" not dissimilar to a Kouign Amann in texture with a center of Raspberries.

Banchini Cioccolato was our first stop for Gelato during our Italian eating adventure and we were…read morenot disappointed. Banchini Cioccolato is famous for their chocolate and their gelato was as good. Creamy, rich and great flavour. The trouble is always what to pick as all the flavours are good. They have been in business since 1879 and celebrating their 140th anniversary in 2019! We also picked up some chocolate bars as souvenirs. Love their pistachio flavour! They were gone even before I got home.

We stopped in for a quick gelato which turned into snacks and a Prosecco and the history of their…read morefamily chocolate operation. They gave us tips for things to do / see / eat around Parma and it was just the loveliest experience ever. The chocolates are AMAZING!!! We gave some away as gifts and they were very well received. Thank you for an amazing afternoon and these delicious chocolates!!!!!!

Prosciutto and Cheese Please!…read more As a tourist visiting Parma looking for good eats, I was not disappointed with my experience at La Prosciutteria. Friendly staff that understands and speaks English was so helpful. We got to sample quite a few cheese and prosciutto before purchase. I love free samples! Worth dropping if you wanting to try some of local delicacy.

This was such a tasty and visual stop in downtown Parma to pick up some treats to take home. Upon…read moreentering, the staff was very friendly, eager to share samples and answer questions. The facade alone is worth a visit. Inside you'll find dozens of hanging Parma ham legs, plentiful cheese, local honeys, jams, pickled veggies and so on. You could build out a really nice gift basket or Parma round up from this one stop. Try the cheese when they offer a generous sample! Note that like many other bizs in Parma, they close for a few hours in the afternoon. Traveling with your meat/cheese? They'll graciously vacuum pack your purchases for save travels! Enjoy an extra sample on my behalf when you stop in!